Best colleges for Chemical Engineering in Pennsylvania
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the Pennsylvania programs in the federal field-of-study file, Lafayette College leads: its Chemical Engineering graduates earn a median $115,726 four years after finishing, against the field's $98,158 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lafayette College | $115,726 | +$17,568 |
| 2 | Carnegie Mellon University | $110,378 | +$12,220 |
| 3 | University of Pennsylvania | $109,884 | +$11,726 |
How big is the earnings gap between Pennsylvania Chemical Engineering programs?
$5,842 separates the top and bottom of this list — $115,726 at Lafayette College against $109,884 at University of Pennsylvania, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do Pennsylvania Chemical Engineering graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $17,568 above the $98,158 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.